PORTLAND, Ore. -- With a break from the rain and warmer temperatures, expect to see plenty of orange cones on the road.
Transportation officials say that 2018 is going to be the busiest for construction projects in a decade.
“Travelers are going to experience the worst construction delays they've seen in the past 10 years in Portland,” said Kimberly Dinwiddie, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Transportation.
View: ODOT project list
The significant construction is due to the need for extensive highway maintenance. Dinwiddie said many highways were built in the 1950s, and are in need of work. More construction will happen in 2019 and 2020 as well. The roadwork means more backups, delays, and traffic.
Drivers are already dreading it.
“It sucks. It really does,” said Karla Pixler, who lives in Portland. She says traffic is already bad enough.
“You probably need to add an extra half an hour sometimes to an hour of travel time because of all the little pockets everywhere,” she said.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is already spearheading road projects across the city.
Dylan Rivera of PBOT said money from the gas tax passed in 2016 is helping to fund road fixes as part of the “Fixing Our Streets” program.
Once all the PBOT projects are done, Rivera said there will be better markings, on safer and smoother roads. One example is the project that’s already been completed at Southwest Main Street and 1st Avenue in Portland.
As for state highways, a huge project is coming up.
“In July we're going to see some major closures on the busiest interchange in the state of Oregon at I-84 and I-5,” said Dinwiddie.
She said each ramp that connects Interstate 5 to Interstate 84 will be closed around the clock for up to two weeks at a time.
“During the two-week closures we can expect to see gridlock type congestion that lasts 18 hours of each 24 hour period from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.,” Dinwiddie said.
ODOT says the work will include replacing bridge joints, structural repairs, and resurfacing.
"Without these repairs, the bridges would need to close to trucks or other heavy vehicles and could eventually stop serving all drivers."
Other projects include:
Interstate 5 paving project
In late June, crews will begin work on repaving a six-mile stretch of I-5 between the Interstate Bridge and the Moda Center in both directions. Drivers should expect nighttime ramp closures and detours between the Fremont and Marquam bridges. The project is expected to continue into the fall.
Crews will continue to work on a paving the 5.5-mile stretch from Oregon 99W to I-205. In this project, crews will build a southbound auxiliary lane from Lower Boones Ferry Road to I-205 to improve merging and exiting onto the highway. A second auxiliary lane will be built at the same exit for northbound drivers. Drivers should expect night and weekend lane ramp closures. This project will continue into next spring.
Oregon 99E in Oregon City
From July through September, multiple lanes of McLoughin Boulevard in Oregon City will be closed as crews work to reduce the safety threat for a hillside prone to landslides.There will be occasional 20-minute closures whenever possible outside the morning and evening commutes.
The closures are south of the Railroad Avenue tunnel in Oregon City and will restrict travel to one lane in each direction.
Interstate 205
The nine-mile stretch of the I-205 paving project that first began in 2017 will continue into late 2019. Crews are paving the area between Johnson Creek Boulevard and the Glenn Jackson Bridge that will add three auxiliary lanes, real-time traffic signs, and easier access to a multi-use path on Glisan Street.
In the summer, the northbound exit to U.S. 30 Bypass/Killingsworth Street will be closed for two weeks.
In June, crews will continue a repaving project on another 9-mile stretch of I-205 between I-5 interchange in Tualatin and the south end of the Abernethy Bridge in West Linn. Drivers should expect nighttime and weekend lane closures. This project is projected to be completed by the fall of 2018.
Inner Powell Boulevard
Starting the week of June 4, ODOT will have single lane closures in both directions on Powell Boulevard in Portland from Southeast 20th through 34th avenues.
In this project, crews will install three rapid-flash beacons at Powell Boulevard, at SE 24th, 31st, and 34th avenues to help alert drivers of pedestrians crossing, safer bicycle and pedestrian crossings, and new traffic signals at SE 21st, 26th, and 33rd avenues.
Third travel lane on Sunset Highway
A new travel lane is expected to open on both directions between the 185th Ave and Cornelius Pass Road exits on U.S. 26. The project first began in November 2016 and is complete, but crews will conduct period lane closures into July while cleanup is finished.
New signage
Dozens of new road signs will be installed on I-5 and I-84. While most of the work will happen at night, drivers should expect some daytime closure on I-5 from south of the Iowa Street viaduct to north of the interchange with Oregon 217.The I-84 project is between Northeast 102nd and 148th avenues with periodic full freeway closures. Both projects will continue into the fall.
ODOT officials said there are also about 25 projects that span the coast to the Columbia River Gorge, which means drivers are likely to encounter some kind of construction across the region.
Transportation officials hope people will walk and bike more, and use public transportation to get to work.
Dinwiddie said she hopes people will pay attention and slow down on the roads. In 2017, five highway workers were killed in Oregon.